stealth wealth

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stealth wealth (uncountable)

1. (informal) Monetary wealth that its owner keeps secret or discreet, rather than flaunting it; quiet luxury; as a fashion style, preferring neutral colors, no visible logos, and subtle finishes.
   • 2023 March 30, Carola Long, “Gwyneth Paltrow, ‘stealth wealth’ star of the courtroom catwalk”, in Financial Times‎^[1]:

     So-called “quiet luxury” — understated but ultra-luxurious clothes favoured by the super-rich — is back in vogue, with an emphasis on stealth-wealth brands such as The Row, Loro Piana, Max Mara and Hermès.

   • 2023 April 30, Eva Wiseman, “Why do we buy into ‘stealth wealth’ and the class who wear it?”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     The most chilling expressions of stealth wealth for me tend to go hand in hand with simple facts about the fortunes that purchased them, like the £570 suede slippers worn on the school run by Akshata Murty (one of the wealthiest women in Britain and Rishi Sunak’s wife).

   • 2023 May 15, Amanda Mull, “There’s No Secret to How Wealthy People Dress”, in The Atlantic‎^[3]:

     The people truly fascinated with stealth wealth are those far outside it. The terms stealth wealth and quiet luxury have been bouncing around the internet for several years, but they’ve gained the most traction lately on TikTok, where an audience disproportionately full of teens and 20-somethings dissects these looks and devours the lessons they seemingly teach.

   • 2025 June 27, Marina Hyde, “Anna Wintour has spent decades dictating a certain look for the super-rich. Then along came Lauren”, in The Guardian‎^[4], →ISSN:

     Quick word on the Sánchez aesthetic: you might have heard of trends such as stealth wealth, quiet luxury, whatever. Forget about those. Lauren wants to look really rich and really sexy and like she’s having a really good time, all of the time.